Utility holder



J. E. BORAH UTILITY HOLDER Jan. 24, 1961 Filed Aug. 12, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR- v JOHN E. B OR AH BY v FIG. 7

ATTORNEY J. E. BORAH UTILITY HOLDER Jan. 24, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 12, 1957 o 0400: o o 0 FIG. 5

FIG. 8

m m V mm L N H O J ATTORNEY FIG. 9

Jan. 24, 1961 J. E. BORAH 2,968,888

UTILITY HOLDER Filed Aug. 12, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. JOHN E. BORAH ATTORNEY UTILITY HOLDER John E. Bot-ah, South Bend Modern Molding, Inc., 815 Mishawaka Ave., Mishawaka, Ind.

Filed Aug. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 677,426

7 Claims. (Cl. 45-28) I of the aforesaid type having a concealed, easily cleaned receptacle for catching the water draining from the bars and articles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an article holder for use around the lavatory, bathtub and kitchen sink, employing a suction cup for securing the holder in place in combination with a water receiving chamber around the cup for catching the water draining from the articles and simultaneously increasing the gripping action of the cup on the holder mounting surface.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for bars of soap, drinking glasses and the like, which has a slight gripping action on the articles being held so they will not slip or be easily knocked from the holder.

Conventional soap dishes and holders used around lavaton'es, bathtubs and kitchen sinks either retain the water draining from the soap in the bottom where sufficient soon collects to submerge the lower portion of the soap or they drain the water through holes in or near the bottom permitting the water to drip from the dish or holder indiscriminately for some time after the soap has been used. In the former type the soap is softened by the water in the holder and becomes unpleasant to use, and the softened portion of the soap easily washes away, causing serious soap wastage. The soap also tends to cake in the bottom and the holder becomes difiicult to clean thoroughly so that these devices often do not long retain their new appearance. In the latter type, dripping of the soapy water for some time after the soap has been used soils the lavatory, tub or sink with dried soap spots and streaks. objects to provide a soap holder which overcomes these difficulties and one which can readily be mounted in any suitable location and easily removed for cleaning.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my utility holder detached from a supporting surface;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the utility holder shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the utility holder shown in Figures 1 and 2, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the utility holder, illus- It is therefore one of the present States Patent trating the manner in which a single bar of soap is sup ported;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the utility holder illustrating the manner in which two bars of soap are held;

' Figure 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of the holder shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the holder shown in Figure 6, taken on line 7-7 of said figure;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of a modified form of my utility holder;

Figure 9 is a vertical cross sectional view of the modified form shown in Figure 8, taken on line 9-9 of Figure 8; and

Figures 10, 11 and 12 are vertical cross sectional views of modified forms of my utility holder.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, and to the embodiment shown in Figure 1 through 5 in particular, my utility holder consists of a disc shaped body portion 10 having an annular wall 12 around its lower margin and a suction cup 16 integrally attached to the center of the bottom surface 14 and projecting downwardly slightly further than the plane formed by the lower edge of wall 12 as shown at numeral 13 of Figure 1. The upper surface 20 of the body portion slopes generally inwardly toward the center from a marginal upstanding flange 22 and terminates at a dome shaped or raised section 24 at the center of the upper surface. A plurality of holes 26, four being shown in the drawings, connect the lowermost point of the upper surface Ztl with the chamber 30 formed by the bottom surface 14 and annular Wall 12. Water draining from the article, such as a bar of soap, placed on the top surface flows through holes 26 into chamber 30 which is completely and efiectively sealed from the outside by the lower edges of wall 12 seating firmly against the surface 32 on which the utility holder is mounted. In Figure 3 the holder is shown attached to surface 32 by suction cup 16 which has yielded .by spreading outwardly around its lower periphery, and

.the central portion of the body has yielded downwardly after the lower edge of wall 12 engaged surface 32 and is held in the depressed position by the suction cup. The

,wall 12 is thus held firmly against surface 32 forming an 1 come adequately compressed for effective gripping action.

The entire holder is made of natural or synthetic rubber or other suitable flexible material and is preferably formed as a one-piece unit.

After the holder has been attached to surface 32, chamber 30 forms a completely concealed sump for the Water draining from the soap or other article placed in the holder, and the water accumulating in the chamber around the suction cup facilitates the formation and maintenance of an effective seal between the lower edge of the cup and surface 32. When the holder and lavatory or sink or the like on which the holder is mounted are to be cleaned, wall 12 and body 19 are pulled upwardly until the grip of the suction cup is broken. The soapy water in chamber 30 can then easily be washed from surface 32 and from the bottom surface of the holder. Since chamber 30 is completely closed except for holes 26 while the holder is attached to surface 32 very little evaporation of the water in the soapy solution takes place so that the soap does not have the opportunity to form a hard deposit either on the underside of the holder or on surface 32, and hence these surfaces remain easy to clean.

Four relatively long upwardly extending posts 40 are attached integrally to the upper surface of body 10 near the outside edge thereof. Before the center of the holder is pressed downwardly to engage suction cup 16 with surface 32, the posts lean slightly outwardly from the bot tom to the top, as shown in Figure 1. After the center portion of the holder has been pressed downwardly to engage the suction cup, the resulting increased slope of the upper surface 26 toward the center of the body causes posts 40 to stand in approximately a true vertical position. These posts, being of rubber or other flexible material, will readily spread outwardly from one another to receive articles too large to seat on the body 10 without engaging the sides of the posts, and will grip the article to prevent .it from slipping or from being easily knocked from the holder.

A relatively large number of small fingers 42 projecting upwardly from surface 20 and arranged in two rows 44 and 46 intersecting at right angles in thetop center of dome 24 support the articles placed in the holder and hold them above surface 20 a s-ufiicient distance to permit the water to drain readily from the articles and run through holes 26 into-chamber 36. These fingers are preferably tall enough that the article in the holder, such as a bar of soap, will not be contacted with the water accumulating on the upper surface before running over the edge of flange 22,"in the event chamber 30 should be permitted to fill completely and overflow. By having fingers 42 at least slightly taller than flange '22, if the bar of soap extends -outwardl-y over the flange the water can still drain back onto surface 26 without running down the outside of the holder.

The four posts 40 equally spaced near the margin of body 16 form a socket for receiving a drinking glass, as shown at numeral 48 in Figure 3, and any water on the outside surface of the glass will readily drain onto surface 24) and thence through holes 26 into chamber 30. The four posts also form holders for either one bar of soap, as shown in broken lines in Figure 4, or two bars of soap as shown in broken lines in Figure 5. Figure 5 also illustrates by broken lines, how posts 40 yield to receive articles larger than can be placed easily all the way to the tops of flange 22 and fingers 42. A lesser or greater number of posts can be used .if desired depending upon the intended use of the holder. Three equally spaced posts will serve satisfactorily for most uses.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate another embodiment similar to the'embodiment previously described but including one or more lips St) for receiving larger bars of soap completely within the confines of the holder. These lips can be of any desired size depending upon the contemplated use for the holder. Figure 7 also illustrates the use of a chain 52 for use in attaching the holder to the water faucet fixture, especially when the holder is used in public washrooms. In this illustration a beaded chain is threaded through one of holes 26 from the top and is secured therein by an eye 54- or a large ball attached to the end of the chain. Other suitable chain means may be used either in conjunction with hole 26 or by a separate fixture embedded in the body of the holder.

My modified form of utility holder shown in Figures 8 and 9 is similar in certain respects to the embodiments previously described herein and the same numerals will be used for like parts. This holder includes a disc shaped body '10 with a bottom surface 14 terminating in an annular Wall 12 and a suction cup 16 secured to the lower central portion of the body. These partsfunction in the same manner as previously described, i.e. the suction cup secures the holder to the supporting surface and the lower surface of the body and wall 12 form chamber 30 for receiving water draining from the articles placed in the holder. On the top surface of the body the combination of a soap holder 60 and a drinking glass retainer 62 is employed. The soap holder is similar to that described previously in that posts 40 and fingers 42 are used to support the bar of soap. Here, however, only two posts are used and these cooperate with the adjacent side of the glass retainer to support the soap bar on edge on the upper ends of fingers 42. A drainage channel 64 with branches 65.18 provided in theupper surface of body beneath the position occupied by the bar of soap and is connected to chamber 30 by a port 66.

The drinking glass retainer 62 is an annular upstanding wall 68 formed integrally with body 10 and is provided with an internal wall tapering outwardly slightly from bottom to top. A port 70 is provided in the bottom of the retainer to remove the water draining from the glass placed in the retainer. In this modification a gripping action of posts 40 is obtained when the holder is pressed in the center to seat the suction-cup by the tilting inwardly of the posts toward the adjacent side of the glass retainer 62, thus duplicating the action of posts 40 in the previously described embodiment. When the holder is pressed downwardly in the center of top surface 20 to cause the suction cup to grip surface 32, wall 12 engages the supporting surface and seals chamber 30 except for ports 66 and 70. When a bar of soap is placed in the holder the water drains from the soap and flows into branches 65 and thence into channel 64, through port 66 and into chamber 30.

The modification of my utility holder shown in Figures 10 and 11 has a disc shaped body portion 74, a downwardly extending wall 76 and four upstanding posts 78 similar to those of the previously described embodiments. A suction cup 80 is attached to the center of the underside of .body portion 74 and projects below the lower edge thereof. In this embodiment the body portion has a convex upper surface terminating at its periphery in a relatively deep annular channel 82 formed in the upper side of wall 76 and the upper surface is provided with fingers 84 assuming an over all pattern similar to the fingers of the first embodiment described. While the fingers may be the same as those employed in the first embodiment, the fingers :shown here are somewhat larger, generallycylindrical members and .are provided with flat upper ends 86 with rather sharp edges so that they will indent the contacting surface of the bar of soap 88 when the soap is placedon the holder after it has been mounted on a supporting surface in the manner shown in Figure 11. In the figure it is seen that the center of the body portion has been depressed and the suction cup has been pressed firmly onto the supporting surface. The bottom of wall 76 engages the supporting surface and :gives stability to the holder while it is being heldby the suction cup. When the body portion is depressed fingers 84 tilt from their vertical position toward the center of the holder, raising a portion of the sharp edges of the fingers to the point where the soap will come directly into contact with those edges andbe prevented from sliding from the holder while it is wet and slippery. After the body portion has been depressed to the position shown in Figure 11 the upper surface is still dome shaped such that the water draining from the soap will flow from said surface into channel 82.

The modification shown in Figure 12 is similar to the one shown in Figures 10 and 11; however, in this embodiment an annular peripheral flange 90 is provided forcatching the water as it flows from the dome shaped upper surface of body 92 and a plurality of holes 94 drain the water from the channel formed by flange 90 and discharge it into a chamber 96 formed beneath body 92 and sealed by annular wall 93 engaging the support surface for the holder. Posts 101), fingers 102 and suction cup 104 are Lhe same as those shown in Figures 1 through 5 and hence will not be described here.

While a number of modifications have been illustrated herein, various other modifications and changes .can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

l. A utility holder of resilient material, comprising a disc shaped body having a center sloping upper surface, an annular wall around the lower edge of said body for ngaging a surface supporting the holder, a suction cup integrally attached to the underside of said body at the center thereof and extending slightly below the plane fOrt ned by the lower edge of said wall when in its nongripping position, said underside and wall defining a chamber on the lower side of said body, an upstanding flange around the upper edge of said body, a plurality of equally spaced posts disposed near said flange, a plurality of relatively small upright fingers on said upper surface arranged in two rows intersecting at right angles at the center of said upper surface, a dome shaped protrusion on the upper surface of said body directly above said suction cup, and a port connecting the lowest point on said upper surface with said chamber.

2. A utility holder of resilient material, comprising a disc shaped body having a center sloping upper surface, an annular wall around the lower edge of said body for engaging a surface supporting the holder, a suction cup attached to the underside of said body at the center thereof, said underside, wall and cup defining an annular chamber on the lower side of said body, a plurality of equally spaced posts disposed near the outer edge of said upper surface, a plurality of relatively small upright fingers on said upper surface arranged in intersecting rows, a dome shaped protrusion on the upper surface of said body directly above said suction cup, and a port connecting the lowest point on said upper surface with said chamber.

3. A utility holder of resilient material, comprising a disc shaped body having a concave bottom surface and a center sloping upper surface, an annular wall around the lower edge of said body for engaging a surface supporting the holder, a suction cup attached to said body at the center of said bottom surface, said bottom surface, wall and cup defining an annular chamber on the lower side of said body, a plurality of equally spaced yieldable posts disposed near the outer edge of said upper surface, a plurality of relatively small upright fingers on said upper surface arranged in rows, and a port connecting the lowest point on said upper surface with said chamber.

4. A utility holder, comprising a flexible disc shaped body made of resilient material and having a bottom surface and a recessed upper surface, and four frustoconical upstanding yieldable posts of resilient material on said upper surface, said posts being equally spaced from each other and from the center of said body and tapering inwardly from bottom to top and leaning slightly outwardly.

5. A utility holder, comprising a body made of resilient material having a bottom surface and a recessed upper surface, a peripheral rim thereon, and a plurality of elongated upstanding yieldable posts formed of resilient material and spaced from one another on said upper surface a distance greater than the thickness of said posts at the base thereof and sufiiciently to receive and frictionally grip articles therebetween.

6. A utility holder, comprising a body having a bottom surface and an upper surface, and three elongated upstanding laterally yieldable posts formed of resilient material and spaced from one another on said upper surface a distance greater than the thickness of said posts at the base thereof and sufliciently to receive and frictionally grip articles therebetween.

7. A utility holder, comprising a body having a bottom surface and an upper surface, a plurality of elongated upstanding yieldable posts formed of resilient material and spaced from one another on said upper surface a distance greater than the thickness of said posts at the base thereof and sufiiciently to receive and frictionally grip articles therebetween, and a plurality of finger-like means substantially smaller than said posts on said upper surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 141,011 Madan Apr. 24, 1945 473,339 Perine Apr. 19, 1892 2,717,472 Wilmington Sept. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 217,689 Great Britain June '26, 1924 235,951 Great Britain June 25, 1925 246,394 Italy Mar. 22, 1926 741,231 Great Britain Nov. 30, 1955 

